Facts

  • Country: Belgium
  • Type of provider: packaging
  • Focus:
    • Reduce and reuse: Billie Cup reduces disposable coffee cups, by making use of a reusable coffee cup, which can be traded in at any participating location.

Summary of the project

The future is circular. Welcome to our circle!

Once upon a time (100 years ago actually), an average citizen of Belgium made about 40 kilos of waste per year. Today that number has increased to… 560 kilos. Yep, those are the cold, hard facts. Enough, this has to stop. The current ‘take-make-waste’ way of living is not helping. We are running out of resources and our planet is suffering. We have to start thinking ‘circular’ to design waste out of our system. Like for example, using what we have for as long as possible, or repairing something old instead of buying something new. Billie Cups last for years and are recycled by the manufacturers.

Billie cups are made of 100% recyclable polypropylene (PP). When deciding on the material for our cups, PP turned out to be the best fit for our product for 3 reasons:

Service life : PP cups are reusable and durable, which means that they can be washed with the highest frequency. They can therefore remain in our deposit system for a very long time.

Eco-friendliness : compared to other materials, PP performs best when it comes to life span, energy consumption in the manufacturing process and recyclability. Stainless steel, for example, is expensive to produce and therefore too expensive for a deposit system. Ceramic is breakable. And bamboo cups contain the plastic resin melamine, which makes them unrecyclable. Moreover, after 200 times they become less usable. This makes them a good option for personal use, but not for a large-scale deposit system.

Comfort : Billie Cups can handle all types of dishwashers and hot drinks. They are light, optimally stackable and taste neutral.

Billie cups is constantly researching alternative materials. Bioplastics, which have similar properties and are also suitable for a deposit system, are currently not an option because they are still not completely biodegradable and often can only be recycled in a high energy consumption process.

Why use Billie Cup?

•          Free. You get your 1 euro deposit back when you return the Billie cup.

•          Easy. You don’t have to bring a reusable cup from home.

•          Swag. You’re on the go with a handy and very cool cup.

•          Environmentally friendly. You make less waste and reduce your environmental impact.

Why partner up with Billie Cup?

•          Less waste. Look at that, your pile of garbage has been cut in half.

•          Cheaper. You don’t pay for cups anymore, you only pay a service fee.

•          Customer loyalty. Billie Cup customers always come back.

•          Visibility. We love to promote Billie’s Best Friends.

•          Sustainable image. You are one of the pioneers offering a solution.

•          Handy. You can order and return cups at any time.

More information

Do you want to know more about this organization? Please visit their website: https://billiecup.be/?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billiecups

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billiecups/



























Over deze practice

R-strategie:Reduce, Reuse
Betrokken partners:

PRACTICE

Recyclable Cups

"Take away coffee? Only when they have Billie Cups! What if we all stopped using disposable cups but still kept our coffee routine going? Sounds crazy? With Billie Cup it’s possible! You pay 1€ deposit for the cup, which you can get back at any participating location. This way you can enjoy your coffee without making waste.

Recyclable Cups